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Beautiful photos, I especially love the first one in each of your first three picture posts.

On this side issue of Your Time Dining vs. Fixed Time Dining in the MDR: My wife enjoys having the same table-mates each evening, and the familiarity of the same dining staff. Just her preference. On all our cruises, we have chosen fixed time dining in the MDR. Sometimes late seating, sometimes early. On port days, so far we have not had any issues getting back to the ship at close to return time, and still having time to get ready for early dining. And she always dolls up for dinner on the ship. (of course, on some cruises at some ports there might be an extended return time, so that has to be taken into account) Also, evening shows in the main theater have always been positioned or repeated so that either seating time didn't cause us to miss it. Again, our experience. You may want to be more flexible (Your Time) to catch that one particular Punchline or other event. But, still, we never had a problem.

Back in 2019 I read an interview with Carnival's Marketing VP in a trade magazine. Don't know when the interview was actually done. He reiterated that Carnival's marketing is geared towards first-time cruisers who live within driving distance of one of their embarkation ports. They have such a high number of repeat cruisers that they don't necessarily put much emphasis on "rewarding" them, but instead try to maintain a consistent experience that attracted them in the first place. I might be taking some liberties in interpreting what he said in my last sentence, it's been over two years since I read the article. Point is, he then mentioned that Carnival has decided to shift towards better recognizing loyal customers. Maybe that is borne out by the Job Posting that the OP graciously brought to our attention. I would guess that any change was put on hold by the pandemic. Or, maybe the article and the job posting are not related at all. I do hope that they strengthen the loyalty program. But, not including the perks that don't actually cost Carnival anything, I could reward myself with a super-extravagant loyalty gift, bottled water, bar drink, laundry service, etc., out of my own pocket with the money I saved cruising with Carnival (I still comparison shop). Gifts are nice and do lure me in, but my wonderful cruise vacation at a competitive price is a gift unto itself.

I am prone to motion sickness. I don't much get noxious on car rides anymore (not much), but boats still turn me green. On all my cruises on mass market lines, from older smaller vessels accommodating 2,000 passengers to larger ships holding 4,500, I have never felt the slightest tickle in my tummy while on board. This includes the few voyages in which walking was made impossible by the ship's movement in rough waters. Water taxis and boat rides on excursions, though, still made me sick. What does this mean for the OP's friend? Absolutely nothing! Plenty of folks on these boards report they suffer. But, a lot of them still talk about their umpteenth cruise. Either the experience is so much greater than their discomfort, or they have found a remedy that cures or minimizes their distress, or both (I know, I know - some who do get sick will swear off cruising forever. That would probably be me). As for me, I always encourage friends and loved ones to try new things, especially those activities I am passionate about. I am also careful to not be pushy, as I consider how far I would want someone to try to persuade me. So, maybe if she knew that most people do not get sick on board. Or, maybe if she was aware there are some medicines and natural remedies that seem to work for a lot of people. Or, maybe if she realized that people do get uncomfortable and still have a great time. Or, maybe her concerns are enough that she just doesn't want to go. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. Observe the cues to know when enough has been said. Don't forget to tune into my daytime show, "Unsolicited Bad Advice Freely Shoveled Out."

Prior to my cruises, I am able to make purchases of excursions and Fun Shop items, pay my cruise fare, prepay auto-gratuities and drink packages. But I cannot set up my on-board account with Gift Cards until I get on the ship. I usually just put a credit card on file, and then throughout my cruise I apply the Gift Cards. Try to do the kiosk thing, but it is hit and miss as to if it works. Still, I go there first before hitting the Guest Services counter. Buying my Gift Cards throughout the year (both physical and e-cards), I keep a spreadsheet (could be done by hand) of what was spent on each GC and when a GC number has been exhausted. To fund my Sail and Sign account, I can apply cards that have previously been partially used, but it must be the full value of the balance on the card. I have applied up to 5 cards at one time at Guest Services, but never tried anything over $1,000. Just my experiences. As I use up the value of a physical plastic Gift Card, I list them on eBay to see if I can get my money back.

Not sure I could live down my co-workers seeing Vacation Me.

Sure, supply and demand are a major force affecting prices, and the oppressive debt burden being carried by Carnival and other lines has to be serviced somehow. But, Carnival has positioned itself as the FUN and economical option. I would think they have to raise their prices, but still must be seen as generally less expensive than its competitors. Otherwise, it won't survive (I say that as an opinion, so don't ask for my source). Carnival needs smarter brains than mine to determine their pricing structure and product offering to generate optimum revenue for the long haul. I see Carnival as in pretty good shape to weather the storm depending on what unforeseen hurdles appear on the horizon (see Post 33 of this thread for my source). In my book, MSC can have a major impact on Carnival's pricing as MSC looks for more U.S. embarkation ports.

When Carnival first started this, I had great concerns. I know that if you get to your cabin door and either your envelope is missing or tampered with, you go directly to Guest Services and you aren't really going to be out anything. But the thought of starting your cruise in the long lines at the Service desk does not seem appealing, and following up to make sure any unauthorized activity is handled is just extra stress. As it turns out, in all this time, I don't recall anyone posting about a problem with someone messing with their Sail and Sign card left at their door.

Accounting just provides a picture. Not a bad thing, but it is mainly a reflection of management decisions. Marketing is the key. Carnival has to create a product that gets people on its ships. They try to determine the basic product that will entice their target market to book the cruise (~70% of their revenue, at least pre-pandemic). Once on board, so much pressure is then applied to get you to further part with your money (~30% of their revenue). For me, I LOVE it. A cruise on Carnival is basically an All Inclusive experience. But, my wife's onboard spending covers myself and probably five other "free-loading" passengers. If these cuts are "the last straw" for you, either Carnival missed their mark, or you are not who they are after anyway. New bookings will tell the tale.

I don't know how many crew members it takes to maintain the late night buffet, but I assume they can reassign just a couple of them to overnight pizza duty and still come out ahead on reducing overall staffing.

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I do appreciate the responses from everyone. So, Lee Cruiser, just to clarify, did you do a mock booking through AMAC? Thanks.

I am just researching options. I see that AMAC (competitor to AARP) advertises discounts on Carnival cruises to its members, but apparently doesn't reveal the details of those benefits unless you sign up. I am curious if they offer discounted gift cards, and/or savings by booking a cruise through its travel affiliate. Anyone have the inside scoop?

Seems like Carnival is hinting more and more that bringing back FTTF is on the table. My guess would be that this is under consideration as crew members with expired VISAs are being allowed to return to the ships. If I were a high-powered executive within Carnival, the job would be prioritizing the services which were cut or scaled back.

I am somewhat oblivious to the CD, but I don't understand how someone doesn't understand how a CD really impacts some cruisers. If a passenger tends to participate in activities directed by the CD, then of course it is likely their cruise experience will be influenced and the CD be memorable (positive or negative). A few times on a few different cruises, I might be hanging out with a group I just met (or, more accurately, my wife met) around a bar or coffee shop, and the CD walks through and stops for a few minutes and just chats with us. Their interactions didn't seem contrived. More than once I didn't even know they were the CD until someone in our group mentioned it. That makes quite a good impression on me (but I still couldn't tell you most of their names).

Not really a negative to YTD if that is your preference. My wife and I prefer fixed time dining in order to meet up with the same folks each night, or at least those who show up at any particular night. I know that is the exact reason why some do not like fixed time. We have almost as much fun reminiscing about the "not so stellar" table mates as we do the ones we clicked with.

Never have come across that question before. I can't recall ever seeing plasticware on any ship. Also, I have never seen plasticware listed as a foreboden item to bring aboard. If you do bring your own to the MDR or specialty restaurant, be aware they might charge you a forking fee.

We have always done set dining time with almost always a twelve-top. My wife is very conversational, and the most introverted folks at our tables really take to her. We end up having a wonderful dinner time. The almost has to do with one cruise where the only table available was a two-top. My wife was very upset and cried. Not sure how I should take that.

There have been comments on this board about people admitting to being in contact with an infected individual, and not one of them were denied boarding when providing a negative test taken within the time frame required by the cruise line. They were, though, required to go through a special screening with the ship medical staff. Most reported just having the medical representative doing a visual examination. I assume that if you are exhibiting obvious symptoms, it might be another story. Now, admittedly, these were anecdotal stories on these boards from folks of which I don't have personal knowledge, but it does jive with Carnival's posted protocols. But, in the end, it is up to the decision of the medical staff. CDC still, as of today, defines contact as being within six feet of an individual for at least fifteen minutes. Just in case your husband was sitting across a large table from this "friend" for most of their time together.

Well, OP, since you asked - as long as I am physically able, I prefer to carry on all my luggage. Why? Partly because I am cheap (save the tip to the porter), partly because I want to get unpacked and stuff out of the way before hitting the Lido, partly to avoid the wait and see if/when our luggage gets delivered. I am sure there is also some hidden undiagnosed neurosis involved (maybe I'm joking, or not). Wife and I pick a late check-in time so that by the time we get on the ship, we can go directly to our cabin to unpack (we have not yet attained the appropriate "loyalty" level). By the way, I am what some call an over-packer. Depending on my whim, I might have as much as a large suitcase, a medium or small suitcase, and maybe a backpack and a satchel. I think I just heard someone faint.

Speaking only of my personal experience with excursions in the Caribbean. The further that you travel from the port (I am generalizing), the less time you might have with the actual excursion part of your trip with a private tour. That is because (again, my experience) the private tour will tend to try to get you back to the ship early enough to account for unforeseen delays. I think they do this with all their tours, but it becomes more noticeable with longer travel times. Ship-sponsored excursions have less to lose by pushing the return time. But, I bet there is some clause in the contract with the ship line about delaying the ship's departure.

Simply put (and just my opinion), cruising is not back - for everyone. My wife and I can live with long lines and decreased service and staffing in order to get back on a ship. As long as we feel the ship is safe, a certain level of qualify food is available, our rooms are clean and comfortable, and the price is right (very subjective), we want to cruise. If you expect and require more from your experience, I can definitely see why your vacation might be a bust. This in no way is to say my view is right and your expectations are wrong. Ones not right and the other is wrong, they are just different. There will come a time that wife and I will look to Carnival to up their game as conditions in the world and industry improve. We will evaluate then (also, very subjective) if we will continue to accept the product Carnival is providing. Read the discussions and consider the reviews and experiences to determine if cruising is for you right now. As for me and my house, we are glad to be back on the ships.

I am sure there must be cases in which the ship has left behind passengers on a private excursion returning late, but my quick search for stories has not uncovered any such incidences. On a private tour in Belize, our guide/owner received a call about another company with bus problems while we were returning to the ship. He was prepared to divert our group to pick up any ship passengers on the competitor's bus. The other company did resolve this without our needing to change our course. As our guide commented to us, the reputable private tour companies work together to make sure that no passengers miss their ship because of the tour. If just one group ever got left at the pier, that would spell doom for all their businesses.

The medallion is a Carnival Corp concoction. I was reading way back when that they were only using it on certain Princess ships, and assumption was that if it worked well, they would introduce it to other Carnival brands. Seems to be popular on the Princess ships that use the technology, but haven't heard nary a thing about expanding it. That may be a long term investment to re-fit an existing ship. As for leaving the card key outside your room, I had concerns about that at first. Even IF there are cameras, even IF you could report a tampered envelope and get a new card, even IF any unauthorized charges could be reversed from your account, even IF etc. etc., etc - I still wouldn't want my cruise to begin with that kind of hassle when it could have been avoided. But, as time has revealed, I have read about very, very few issues.

Just curious, from a guy who doesn't mind exposing his ignorance for all to mock, is there some material that can be used to cover the part of the door frame which contacts the door, that won't compromise the fire rating, but would mitigate or absorb at least some of the noise on impact? And, obviously, that wouldn't slow the closing of the door or affect its ability to close completely? I guess we can count out asbestos. I suppose the gap between the bottom of the door and the carpet is taken into account in the fire rating? I don't know. Again, ignorant but wanting to learn something new. Seems that on cruise ships this is a common complaint, and heading it off could help take some load off of Guest Services and Security. And, increase passengers' overall positive cruise experience.